The E-series Build.

[AriLea]

SMC is fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_moulding_compound
I can't figure out how to give credit but, yes, fiberglass and SMC seem to be one and the same in the Elio.

You know how 'technical' things can get. Fiberglass is just the filler material, where the real words are "Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester Composite" and SMC is a -process- using 'Fiberglass' material. So yes, both are descriptive of the Elio.
You know you could have fiberglass with epoxy or even nylon(and as Frim says polyurethane), thermal set or catalytic processes. The most common is of course hand-layup Catalytic-set polyester.

 

[Frim]

SMC is fiberglass-reinforced plastic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_moulding_compound


I can't figure out how to give credit but, yes, fiberglass and SMC seem to be one and the same in the Elio.

Again, but corrected. The SMC referred to in Wikipedia is commonly called "Prepreg". We use it here to form thin repairs on the airfoil of helicopter blades. It cures overnight under a vacuum bag but can be accelerated with heat lamps. It is a fiberglass cloth impregnated with raw resin. It is stored at 0*F. The cured product is rigid, tough, thin (.020), and glasslike.

 

[AriLea]

Again, but corrected. The SMC referred to in Wikipedia is commonly called "Prepreg". We use it here to form thin repairs on the airfoil of helicopter blades. It cures overnight under a vacuum bag but can be accelerated with heat lamps. It is a fiberglass cloth impregnated with raw resin. It is stored at 0*F. The cured product is rigid, tough, thin (.020), and glasslike.

I used to interface Flat-Tape Laminating machine tools to mainframe data feed, for Boeing in the late '80's . Now -there- was some prepreg material! The B2 and the 777 were the recipient aircraft. Very large tools indeed.

 

[Jeff Porter]

I wonder how real world a CAD design can be? It might look good or work well on a computer but until they build it and test it there may be some issues that Roush can improve upon.

Good point. There was a pretty interesting show on NOVA last night on the public television channel. It was about Mathematics. Toward the end, they were talking about how there are many instances in nature where math helps to explain things, and there are many other instances in nature where math doesn't work well at all.

Then they got into engineering, and they said something like "... engineers don't make things that are perfect, they make things that are almost perfect." That's not a knock on engineers at all, I have admiration and respect for engineers. It's an attempt to explain just what you said: looks good and works well in simulations, but there's always issues and needed tweaks when it gets to the real world of building something.

The CAD design is necessary and important for sure. And it gets as close to real world as the computer and our human brain can grasp. AND it saves a ton of time and money.

 

[Marshall]

In my experience, SMCs did not have the fiberglass cloth or mat and were vacuformed from various grades of polyurethane. The fiberglass products had cloth, web, or were chopper gunned into a mold had a gelcoat preparation in the mold. They required extended times to cure before removal from the mold. The fiberglass products where much stronger and more ridged. I don't use the terms interchangeably.

If I read it right, the fibers are longer than typical to give it added strength, so it might be the best of both.

 

[Grumpy Cat]

What are you trying to post? The Momentum letter?

Yes. It said it was too many characters.

 

[Coss]

This one right?

Innovative new design process cuts development time by 90%

Elio Motors Momentum v47


Body Panel Design, the Latest Completed Milestone

If you are a regular reader of Momentum, you know this has been a busy three months for Elio Motors. Here are just a few highlights:

• On January 12, at the North American International Auto Show, we announced that we would start building the E-Series vehicles, which will be used for a variety of tests.
• On February 16, we closed our Reg A+ stock offering and raised nearly $17 million;
• February 19, our shares began trading publicly on the OTCQX market (View the press conference here)
• On March 11, we announced that we will sell 100 pre-production vehicles that will be built at the manufacturing facility in Shreveport.
• On March 24, we announced ePlus, a revolutionary customer choice, mass-personalization options program.

All of these are important announcements in our company’s development and all are indications that we are moving in the right direction.

While all those things were happening, our vehicle development teams also have been hard at work moving the design and engineering of the Elio forward to hit our goals. In any new vehicle’s development, there are seemingly small developments that are actually critically important milestones. Month by month, week by week – even day by day – we are hitting these milestones.

Over the next several weeks, we will use Momentum to bring you more behind-the-scenes looks at some of the work that goes into bringing a new vehicle to market. This will include background information on some of the vehicle parts and systems, how the engineering and development teams work together, information about some of our key supplier partners, and photos of how this is all coming together. This week, we’ll start with a look at the final body panel design.

Body Panel – Key to Aerodynamics, Aesthetics

Just this week, the engineering team has completed the final body panel design. The Elio has one of the most unique body styles on the market today, and the body panels are obviously a big reason why. The aerodynamic shape of the body panels has two important roles – first, it is the key to the vehicle’s striking looks and, second, the body panel shape helps cut through the air, contributing to the overall fuel efficiency.

The majority of the body panels are made from molded fiberglass. Fiberglass has several advantages that make it perfect for Elio Motors. It offers significant weight savings over stamped steel and other metals, which benefits overall fuel efficiency. Tooling to manufacture fiberglass panels is less expensive than stamping dies and it also can be produced more quickly. It is also cost effective in production, because it has low labor requirements.

The body panels were designed by the Molded Plastic Development team, which includes Molded Plastic Industries of Holt, Michigan and Excel Pattern of Dearborn, Michigan, in collaboration with Frame Development Team supplier-member, Schwab Industries of Shelby Township, Mich.

 

[Coss]

Part 2: (hint, just split it in half)

The majority of the body panels are made from molded fiberglass. Fiberglass has several advantages that make it perfect for Elio Motors. It offers significant weight savings over stamped steel and other metals, which benefits overall fuel efficiency. Tooling to manufacture fiberglass panels is less expensive than stamping dies and it also can be produced more quickly. It is also cost effective in production, because it has low labor requirements.

The body panels were designed by the Molded Plastic Development team, which includes Molded Plastic Industries of Holt, Michigan and Excel Pattern of Dearborn, Michigan, in collaboration with Frame Development Team supplier-member, Schwab Industries of Shelby Township, Mich.

Speaking of the process, Frank Phillips, Jr., president of Molded Plastic Products said, “The Elio Motors design process is the new paradigm in automotive engineering and design. It allows participating suppliers to bring their best ideas to the table and to work together collaboratively with other product development teams (PDTs) for the good of the project. It’s very different from the long-standing status quo in getting a vehicle to the commercial production stage. I’ve worked in the industry since 1982 and have never experienced this much revolutionary development-process innovation.”

Left Hand Side Body Panel – Pattern cut ready for benching and seal painting to bring the surface up to class-A finish.

The Molded Plastic Development team is one of eight engineering/supplier team workgroups. Each workgroup is responsible for a functional area of the vehicle’s development. The key to the workgroup structure is the increased teamwork between all of Elio Motors’ suppliers and the empowerment the suppliers have to make decisions.

The outcome of this work structure is a much faster overall design and development time. On the body panels, for example, the Molded Plastic Development Team estimates that development time was reduced by 90 percent – or, on average, two years and two months – but the design will still provide the aesthetics and quality our customers demand.

Rear Left Hand and Right Hand Skirt Tool Complete – ready for mounting to vacuum form base.

The body panels are one of the first tangible examples of why Elio Motors’ supplier relationships are key to our long-term success. We look forward to bringing you more examples in the weeks to come.



Anticipated production date is based upon timely receipt of requisite funding.

Certain statements in this email are "forward-looking statements." These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from planned operations include, without limitation, delays in receipt of adequate financing, delays in commencement of production, decreased consumer interest in the Company¹s products, downturn in general economic conditions, increased production costs and availability of raw materials, competition, and unfavorable market and regulatory conditions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the Company¹s control. Readers are referred to the Company¹s periodic reports filed with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The information contained in this email is a statement of the Company¹s present intentions, beliefs or expectations and is based upon, among other things, the existing business environment, industry conditions, market conditions and prices, the economy in general and the Company¹s assumptions. The Company may change its intentions, beliefs or expectations at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in its assumptions or otherwise, and it undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. The cautionary statements contained or referred to in this email should be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that the Company or persons acting on its behalf may issue.

 

[Rickb]

Good point. There was a pretty interesting show on NOVA last night on the public television channel. It was about Mathematics. Toward the end, they were talking about how there are many instances in nature where math helps to explain things, and there are many other instances in nature where math doesn't work well at all.

Then they got into engineering, and they said something like "... engineers don't make things that are perfect, they make things that are almost perfect." That's not a knock on engineers at all, I have admiration and respect for engineers. It's an attempt to explain just what you said: looks good and works well in simulations, but there's always issues and needed tweaks when it gets to the real world of building something.

The CAD design is necessary and important for sure. And it gets as close to real world as the computer and our human brain can grasp. AND it saves a ton of time and money.

3D CAD is the most functional, powerful, and accurate 'design tool' engineers and designers use in the design process allowing for convenient change as their vision develops. It's the final CAD engineered/design specification freeze that allows for the most precision CAD generated tooling for laser cutting body panel molds and the 1000's of individual component parts needed to fabricate the product. Then the computer driven robots take over in the manufacturing plants to assemble those individual component parts.

I wonder if there is a final clay modeled Elio setting somewhere in a design studio?

 

[Jambe]

From Elio Motors Owners Association:
Rick Deckard Hand laid fiberglass is very different (and heavier) from Molded Plastic Products molded fiberglass which is very similar to SMC (SMC is a trademark product so the names have to be different and this is different but similar) Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic but the Elio had determined that this was more readily available and that Molded Plastic Products had more direct experience with producing body panels than the previous company and this had been planned prior to the development of the P5 - http://moldedplastic.com/

Rick Deckard And now it is Fiber Reinforced Plastic FRB... This Wiki has a lot of the ways things that are FRP are made https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre-reinforced_plastic

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) (also fibre-reinforced polymer) is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibers. The fibres are usually glass, carbon, aramid, or basalt. Rarely, other fibres such as paper or wood or asbestos have been used. The polymer is usually an epoxy, vin…
en.wikipedia.org